


1. Hiding Under a Table

by INeverHadMyInternetPhase



Series: Running Into You [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Awkwardness, Fangirl Dan, First Meetings, Fluff, Humour, M/M, They just meet in lots of different ways ok, non-youtuber!Dan, youtuber!Phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:33:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6293458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INeverHadMyInternetPhase/pseuds/INeverHadMyInternetPhase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan only took this office job to have something to do in his gap year. He's amazed the film company even hired him, to be honest. When he comes into work one morning running on no sleep and hungover, he suspects they may have made a mistake, and of course that's the one day that his literal idol AmazingPhil comes into their office unannounced.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a series that I'm (hopefully) gonna finish at some point. There are 30 meet-cutes I collected from various places on the internet/made up and I'm gonna use each one to give an alternate first meeting for Dan and Phil, with Dan being a total fangirl and Phil being his favourite youtuber. Expect fluff and humour (and slightly ridiculous scenarios but, hey, it'll be fun. Suspend your disbelief guys). In this first part, Dan is on his gap year, but it's as if he and Phil never started talking. Enjoy!

1\. Hiding under a table

Based loosely on Dan’s ‘The Power Nap’ video

Crap, crap, this was nothing short of a bad idea.

Dan wormed his way down the corridor with his heart pounding in his mouth, his palms clammy, and his head pounding. The haze of alcohol from the night before may not have fully worn off yet, but he was in enough control of his faculties to realise that nothing about this situation was good.

Dan only took this job at the film place for a dream, really. Becoming a star? Having thousands watch him? Making people laugh and actually being entertaining? He wished. Here, he did nothing more than make coffee and occasionally photocopy something for his superior, Emma the Third Assistant. But at least he got to be in the same building as the stars he so admired. Sometimes, he even got to walk past the rooms they were in.

He was working temporarily at a film studio, which sounded a lot more glamorous than it actually was. He had a place at university settled for the next year, and the idea of getting some experience at one of the top studio places in London had been more than appealing. Especially as it was a studio often rented out to independent filmmakers, including the youtubers that Dan spent every evening following relentlessly and stalking on twitter. Not that he would ever admit to that.

Now, though, Dan was regretting his decision to work here. It wasn’t as if he ever actually met any of the stars - though he once walked past a corridor that had Jack and Dean in it, and he’d nearly fainted - and ok, maybe going out the night before hadn’t been the most intelligent thing for him to do, but it was a friend’s birthday, and he was young, and that’s what young people did, right? Be foolish and stay out all day and all night before an early start for work. Dan had barely made it onto his train that morning, and he’d stumbled into the office with his skin clammy and his clothes rumpled, clutching onto coffee like it was his lifeline. Emma the Third Assisstant sent him a disparaging glance, promptly ordering him to the shelves and shelves of files for him to sort through.

It was only when Dan all but collapsed against the shelf, knocking over ten files and sending papers scattering all over the thickly-carpeted floor, that he realised he was still mostly asleep. So he decided that the best thing for him to do would be to flee.

Yep, flee.

Not go and talk to his supervisor, like any normal human would do, but instead to run away and find somewhere sensible to hide until the end of his shift. Or maybe he could have a quick nap? Either way, just something to get him away from any kind of responsibility until his brain started to function again. And so he found himself stumbling along one of the top floor corridors, peeking into the doors spread periodically along its bare white walls. Nothing was up here aside from a few offices belonging to the more important staff, and they should be empty at this time - most people were working down in the studios.

Dan crept, heart in mouth, passed the first few closed doors, too nervous to try actually opening any of them. The corridor was, thankfully, empty, and no noise followed Dan as he stumbled on. He kept to the wall, his eyes dropping further with every step, until the sound of footsteps behind him had him scrambling quickly to the nearest door. Praying that it was empty, he tugged it open and tumbled inside.

Pressing his ear to the door, he could hear footsteps coming closer, and the low murmur of voices. They were too far away for him to make out what they were saying, though, but they were getting closer with every passing second.

Dan swallowed. A quick survey told him he found himself in one of the offices - it must belong to one of the higher-ups, as well, if the plush furniture and fancy pictures were anything to go by. Dan barely had three seconds to look around before a sound came from right behind the door, and he heard the gruff voice of his boss say, “Yes, well, that’s certainly something we can talk about. If you’d just like to come in…”

The door handle twisted.

Dan’s stomach dropped down to below his ankles. His bones rattled, his neck cricking with the speed in which he stared around, hunting for anywhere he could hide. He just barely had time to dive under the desk before the door was opening, and his actual boss walked in.

Dan let off a stream of swear words in his head. He cowered under the desk, tangling himself up with the chair legs in a desperate effort to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. He watched the legs of his boss move into the room, accompanied by another pair of feet that Dan didn’t recognise. As if he could recognise anyone by just their shoes. This person was wearing trainers, though, so they couldn’t be anyone too official. Hopefully.

“Take a seat,” the gruff voice of Dan’s boss offered, and both sets of chairs either side of the desk were pulled out. Dan curled himself into the middle of the space under the desk, holding his breath and praying not to get caught. All he could do was watch as both of them seated themselves at the desk, their legs invading the already cramped space that Dan was currently occupying. Dan was forced to scuffle back to avoid getting kicked in the face by his boss.

“Now,” his boss began, his voice muffled by the thick wood of the desk, “What would you like to discuss today?”

The second person cleared their throat, and spoke in a smooth male voice. “Well, I wanted to ask about maybe renting out some studio space?”

Dan’s jaw dropped.

He knew that voice. He listened to that voice obsessively every night. He stalked the owner of that voice on twitter, and often abused his subscription box in order to see if there were any new videos uploaded. That voice accompanied him every evening when he buried himself in youtube to hide away from reality for a while.

That voice belonged to AmazingPhil.

“Of course,” Dan’s boss was saying above him, “We have a standard form for new filmmakers to fill out. What platform do you use?”

“Youtube,” said the second person, and yep, that sounded exactly like AmazingPhil.

Dan studied the pairs of feet sharing his space under the desk. One obviously belonged to his boss - boring black shoes, boring grey socks - but the other was wearing trainers, and his socks were mis-matched. One was coloured in a criss-cross of green, the other covered in small dogs.

Dan’s stomach clenched. AmazingPhil. He was sitting in a room with AmazingPhil.

Well, specifically, he was hiding in a room with AmazingPhil, and AmazingPhil had no idea he was there, but still. Dan was in the same place as AmazingPhil. Breathing the same air, existing in the same space. Was this actually really happening, or did Dan still have too much alcohol in his system?

Due to his apt admiration of AmazingPhil’s shoes, Dan missed a bit of the conversation going on above him. When he tuned back in, it was AmazingPhil talking.

“…Really I just wanted a space to film,” he was explaining, and his voice sounded quieter in person. “And try out some new techniques - I heard you have green screens here?”

Holy shit, imagine the quality of film AmazingPhil could make if he had actual technology! Dan’s boss better allow it. If this really wasn’t just some figment of Dan’s imagination, anyway.

“Indeed we do, yes,” Dan’s boss affirmed. “I can show you around in a moment, there’s just some paperwork for you to fill out…”

The scrape of a chair sounded as Dan’s boss got back to his feet, and Dan had to scramble hastily backwards in order to avoid getting kicked. The last thing he needed was for his boss to find him here - and even worse, when AmazingPhil was in the room.

Unfortunately, as Dan scrambled back to avoid getting kicked by his boss, he ran straight into one of the legs of the desk, and couldn’t help but give out a little yelp.

The voices stopped.

Dan held his breath, cursing loudly inside his head.

“Must have been from one of the studios,” Dan’s boss laughed, and his feet disappeared in the direction of the filing cabinet. “They’re all in use at the moment.”

“Ah, I see.” AmazingPhil gave a little chuckle.

Unfortunately, he also decided to stretch his feet out.

Dan didn’t have any time to move. He scrambled as far back as he could, but he’d barely moved an inch before AmazingPhil’s foot collided with his side, hard.

Dan bit his fist, refusing to let out another yelp. His eyes watered.

A startled exclamation sounded from above the desk, and then AmazingPhil was shifting again, his legs curling back. His chair scraped back, and he was leaning down, and Dan could do nothing but watch as AmazingPhil’s face appeared at the edge of the desk.

AmazingPhil stared at him.

Dan stared back.

The silence stretched on impossibly, the awkward moment wheeling between them, and Dan could do nothing but stare. AmazingPhil. There was no doubt anymore that it was him - he had the fringe, the black hair, those bright blue eyes that Dan had spent far too many hours staring at through his computer screen. Only now, he was seeing them in real life. AmazingPhil was actually sitting there, staring at Dan, who was cowering under a desk with absolutely no expanation.

And AmazingPhil was looking right back at him.

“Aha!” Dan’s boss’ voice sounded, and Dan hastily shoved a finger to his lips. He widened his eyes, all but begging AmazingPhil to stay quiet.

AmazingPhil blinked at him once, and was that amusement tugging at his lips?

Then, he sat up again, and his face disappeared from under the desk. Dan tucked his knees into his chest and listened as his boss gave some papers to AmazingPhil.

“Thanks,” AmazingPhil’s calm voice replied, and he didn’t sound shaken at all, considering he’d just witnessed a very tired teenager curled up under the desk. “Um, did you say there was a possibility I could see the studios?”

“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Dan’s boss agreed.

“Is it possible today?”

“Ah, I’m not sure how booked they are - I’ll just go and see, if you’d like to wait here.”

“Thank you.” There was a smile in AmazingPhil’s voice, and Dan’s chest ached at the thought of actually being able to see it in person.

Or, he would, if he wasn’t stuck underneath a damn desk.

Dan’s boss’ footsteps retreated, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing. Dan bit his lip when he realised that he was now in a room, alone, with AmazingPhil. He’d dreamed of this so many times, but never thought it would come about when he was hidden away under a desk with absolutely no good reason for being there. Emma the Third Assistant was probably having a fit about his sudden disappearance by now.

Then, AmazingPhil’s chair scraped back, and Dan’s thoughts scattered once again. He scrambled back, letting out a quiet squeak now his boss was gone, when AmazingPhil’s face appeared again, A hand was thrust out towards Dan. “Come on!”

“Wh-what?” Dan cursed himself when he stuttered.

“Come on, you probably don’t have long before he’ll be back.”

Head swimming with confusion (and probably the beginnings of a hangover), Dan took the offered hand and crawled his way out from under the desk. He scraped his back in the process and let out a muttered curse, straightening up his cramped legs.

AmazingPhil was staring at him, bright-eyed and with a wide grin. “So I didn’t imagine you, huh.”

Dan spluttered.

“I’m Phil,” AmazingPhil continued, “And I’d love to know how you ended up hiding under a desk, but I think the other guy’s gonna be back, like, any minute, so…”

“I should get out of here,” Dan agreed in a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat, trying not to stare too hard, but before he took another step he blurted, “You’re AmazingPhil, aren’t you?”

Phil lifted his chin in surprise, looking at Dan with renewed interest. “Um. Yeah?”

“Holy crap,” Dan whispered.

Phil stared at him for another moment before a sudden, bright grin lit up his entire face. “Oh. My God. Have I found a fanboy?”

Dan bit his inner cheek in mortification, his face flooding with heat. “…Maybe? Oh, God, but I swear I’m not a stalker. See, I work here - well, I work downstairs, not here here, but my boss is going to kill me if he finds me in his office and I should really…”

“Get out of here,” Phil finished for him with a grave nod, though his eyes were sparkling. “But I want to know the full story as to why I found a fan hiding under a table.”

Dan spluttered again. There were so many things he wanted to say - I promise I’m really not a stalker, I didn’t know you were coming today, oh my God I love your videos, why did you have to be here the one day I was hiding and hungover and maybe a little bit drunk still - but before he could say anything, footsteps echoed back down the corridor again.

Phil gave him a little push towards the door. “Go! Wait in the foyer, I’ll see you down there.”

Dan barely had time to nod before darting to the door and escaping into the corridor. HIs boss was still around the corner, so Dan ninjaed into one of the other empty rooms and waited with bated breath until his boss had disappeared back into his office.

His sluggish brain battling the alcohol, as well as trying to process whether he had just met AmazingPhil or if he was suffering some kind of hallucination, Dan fumbled his way back out into the corridor. He edged gingerly around every corner, his eyes peeled as wide as they could be past his thumping headache, until he managed to safely make his way back down to the lower floors.

Emma the Third Assistant was still busily bustling around the studios, glaring at the poor people who were forced to follow her around that day. She met Dan’s eyes with a narrowed glare when he finally made it back to his station. “Are you done with those files yet?”

“Uh…”

“Well, get back to it.” She shooed him away with a curt glare.

Dan chewed his inner cheek, debating. He should just get back to work - the pile of files only grew higher the longer he was away - but he just met AmazingPhil.

Who told him to wait in the foyer.

Could Dan really afford to pass up this one-and-only opportunity to have a conversation with his absolute favourite youtuber - or at least, a conversation that didn’t involve any desk mishaps.

Dan made his choice in three seconds flat. He walked in the general direction of the filing cabinets, but as soon as Emma’s back was turned, he dodged his way back to the staircase and clattered his way down the remaining floors until he reached the entrance foyer.

AmazingPhil was waiting for him.

Dan came gasping through the glass doors, barely having time to straighten his fringe. His head was still pounding, and he was inwardly seething at the friends who had convinced him to spend an entire night out when they knew he had to work - surely one of them could have been responsible enough to stop him? Just his luck to be running on literally no sleep the one day he actually spoke to AmazingPhil.

Who was currently sending him a big grin and a slightly jaunty wave from across the foyer.

Dan nearly choked. Act normal, act normal. What did normal people do in this situation? Smile back? Walk over? No, don’t trip, and for God’s sake don’t wink…

In the end, Dan settled on a slightly mortified smile and careful steps that took him across the foyer. AmazingPhil was sitting on one of the comfy chairs at the edge of the reception area, the giant glass wall behind him making his black hair shine a little. He was still grinning, his eyes running appraisingly down Dan’s form. “So I didn’t invent you, then.”

Dan resisted the urge to squeal. Instead, he managed a soft snort. “No, I doubt even you could imagine finding someone hiding under a desk.”

“I was a little surprised,” Phil chuckled. “Sorry for accidentally kicking you, by the way.”

Dan rubbed his side, shaking his head. “Youtubers. Abusive lot, aren’t you?”

“Hey, hey,” Phil lifted his hands, “Don’t taint the profession because you got in the way of my foot.”

“Got in the way?”

“That’s totally what happened.”

Dan raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Phil’s grin grew slightly wicked. “Would you rather I told the truth about the fan that stalked me all the way under a desk?”

Dan spluttered. “Ok, for one, I didn’t stalk you…”

“No?”

“No! I work here!”

“Under a desk?”

“Ye - I - no, I just…” Dan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Wait.”

When he opened them again, Phil was covering his mouth to hide his laugh.

Dan blew out a sigh. “Alright. Let’s try this again. Hi, I’m Dan. I work here.”

“Hi, Dan.” Phil held out a hand for him to shake, still chuckling. “I’m Phil. I’m a youtuber, though I think you already know that.”

“I may have seen one or two of your videos.” Or all of them.

“That’s so nice of you.” Phil was still holding his hand, and now he was narrowing his eyes, eyeing Dan closely. “So, if I may ask, why exactly were you hiding under a desk earlier?”

Dan bit his lip. “Ok. Well, see, the thing to remember here is. Um. Turns out you shouldn’t come to work when you haven’t had any sleep.”

Phil lifted a brow. “…Ooooookaaaaaaaay…”

Dan grimaced. “I may have been out last night. Friend had a birthday.”

“Oh, I see!” Phil’s brows shot up, and then he was grinning again, and it took all of Dan’s self control not to coo. “So you’re hungover and you were looking for somewhere to sleep it off.”

“Hey,” Dan responded indignantly, “I’m not hungover…”

“Really? Because your eyes are looking a little red-rimmed to me.”

“Oh, God.” Dan hid his face in his hands. “I can’t believe I’m meeting AmazingPhil the one day I literally haven’t slept.”

Phil snickered. “Don’t worry, Dan. You’ll get to meet me again.”

Dan peeked through his fingers to send Phil a questioning look.

“Your boss okayed me coming in to use your studios,” Phil explained, still grinning. “I start on Monday. So I’ll be seeing you around.”

Dan processed that for a moment.

Working in the same building as AmazingPhil.

Huh.

“You should come to the studio when I’m filming,” Phil added conversationally, “Get a sneak preview. I could use some feedback before uploading it.”

Dan choked. “You serious?!”

“Sure!” Phil grinned. “Though hopefully when you’re less hungover. Shouldn’t you, like, go home and sleep?”

Dan shook his head. “My supervisor is going to kill me as it is.”

“You should get back, then,” Phil smirked at him, “Wouldn’t want a dead Dan on my hands.”

“How nice of you.”

“Well, you know, your blood would be a pain to get off these expensive carpets.” Phil sent him another wide grin, stepping back. “…And I’m late for a meeting. But I’ll see you on Monday, Dan. Studio seven.”

“…Yeah.” Dan watched as Phil moved towards the exit, a jaunty wave sent Dan’s way over his shoulder. “Monday. Right.”

With that thought, suddenly his hangover didn’t seem to matter quite so much.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 'Just, like, one more chapter, maybe with Dan's boss asking how they met and then becoming friends and possibly with Dan jumping into (after being invited by) Phil's videos?' (from OvereducatedAndOverworked).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had no plans to continue this oneshot, but then OvereducatedAndOverworked left a really lovely comment with the prompt, and I got inspired. Plus, I'm sick, and I felt like writing more awkward fluff. So here, have a completely unedited and unplanned random second chapter ^_^
> 
> Plus, huge thank you to everyone leaving me feedback, it means so much to me! You're all precious treasures <3
> 
> EDIT: OvereducatedAndOverworked has kindly offered to beta for me, and fixed the mistakes in this one because she's an awesome person, so now it should be much cleaner! (Thank you so much <3)

Dan hurried through his work day as quickly as he could, his mind fixed on the evening. Phil would be coming in again — or so he'd told Dan last week — and he'd specifically asked Dan to come to the studio to watch him work. Dan, of course, had leaped at the opportunity. Since their very first (and incredibly awkward, Dan still cringed at thinking about it) meeting, Dan had run into Phil three times, always on the way in or out of the building. Phil always said Dan was welcome to come to the studio, but Dan didn't have the courage to take him up on his offer.

But this time, Phil had specifically invited him. Dan promised to go along as soon as his shift was over, which was why he was rushing through his duties as fast as he could feasibly get away with.

Emma the Third Assistant was still as grumpy as ever. Her hard, cold eyes followed Dan's every movement, checking the way he was holding the tripod, or carrying her lenses, or whether or not he was setting up the camera angles correctly. Dan had been given a slight 'promotion', which he was pleased about, although as far as he could see all it entailed was him having to trek after Emma the Third Assistant for eight hours every day, bringing her coffee and carrying her equipment.

It was hardly a life of his dreams, but still. At least he was working in the same building as AmazingPhil himself.

Dan paused for a moment, balancing the tripod he was carrying carefully in one hand as he glanced over his shoulder. Emma the Third Assistant was a little ways away, glaring at one of Dan’s colleagues. Deeming himself safe (for now, at least), Dan placed the tripod carefully down and fished out his phone, checking the time. 4:45 – fifteen minutes left of his shift. Then he’d be free and he could run off to the studio.

Just as he was sliding his phone back into his pocket, it buzzed with an incoming text from Phil. ‘ _Hey, I’m early. Awkwardly hanging in the corridor. Come join me?’_

Dan tried, and failed, to hold back a grin as he replied. ‘ _Can’t, sorry. Still on my shift.’_

_‘But you’re the king of awkwardness’,_ came Phil’s plaintive reply, and Dan almost snorted. He supposed he couldn’t deny that, not really – not with the way he and Phil had met.

“Howell!” Emma the Third Assistant’s sharp voice echoed down the corridor, and Dan scrambled to shove his phone back into his pocket and grab the tripod without knocking anything over as he dashed down the corridor after her.

When Dan’s shift finally ended, he wasted no time in rushing to the floor where the studios were all crowded in next to one another. He’d always walked with reverence down this corridor before, knowing he was in close proximity to the stars that crowded his subscription box, but this time, things felt different. The air felt electric.

Why? Because AmazingPhil was standing outside one of the doors, and he was sending Dan a gleeful wave, a ridiculous grin lighting up his face.

Dan’s heart stuttered in his chest.

“Dan!” Phil called as soon as he was close enough, his smile widening even further. “Thank God, I wasn’t sure you were going to show up.”

“You kidding?” Dan gave a snicker. “ _AmazingPhil_ personally invited me to a shoot? Of course I came.”

Phil’s face lit up. “Good. Because you haven’t come to any yet, and I was worried you were hiding from me.”

Oh. Right. Dan’s face fell a little and he shifted on his feet, his teeth nibbling his lower lip. Honestly, he’d been far too terrified of getting in the way to show up at the studios before now. AmazingPhil would surely be too busy to deal with the slightly pathetic, awkward work experience kid. Surely.

“Anyways,” Phil continued with a light prod to Dan’s shoulder, “Have I got you for the rest of the day?”

Dan ignored the small thrill that ran through him. Instead, he forced a nod, his lips twitching up into a smirk. “Yep. Promise. My shift is over, and my train isn’t until much later in the evening, so I can kill time with you for as long as you like.” _Or at least until you get bored of me_.

Phil quirked an eyebrow. “Train?”

“Yeah, um, back home.”

“Home?”

“Wokingham,” Dan explained with a sheepish smile.

“Oh!” Confusion crinkled Phil’s brow. “Wait. If you live in Wokingham, why are you working here?”

“Um.” Dan gnawed on his lower lip. Of course, he could tell Phil the truth–that he was entertaining the idea of being around his favorite actors and filmmakers, and had a crazy dream that maybe one of them would finally spot his incredible latent talent and force him to be in their films–but that would make him sound a little too much like a stalker. So instead, he scratched at the back of his head with a small laugh. “I like film? And, like, London. I like London.”

Phil peered at him closely. “I see. Well, that makes my next question a bit easier to ask.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” It was Phil’s turn to look a little nervous – not that Dan could understood for the faintest moment as to why. But Phil’s eyes had narrowed slightly, and he was avoiding looking at Dan, and his fingers were busily clenching in the hem of his shirt as he continued. “Um, actually. I was wondering. I have a flat down here while I look for somewhere more permanent, a-and I’m making a vlog tonight, and I was hoping maybe you would want to be in it with me?”

Dan was silent for several minutes as he let that request sink in.

Then he blinked. Hard.

“I mean,” Phil rushed to add as the silence stretched on a little too long, “I know that’s a bit weird, it’s fine if you’re uncomfortable…”

“No, no,” Dan hastily interrupted as soon as his mouth caught up with his brain. “I just – you – you want me to be in a vlog? With you?!”

“Well, yeah.” Phil smiled a little sheepishly. “I was hoping you’d—”

“ _Hell yes_ I will!”

“—Maybe want to – wait – what, really?”

Dan nodded his head enthusiastically, his eyes bright, and then he impulsively tackled Phil, pulling him into a tight hug. He could feel Phil give a startled laugh. Phil’s scent was warm and musky, and his arms were soothing as he wound them around Dan’s back.

“Of course I want to,” Dan mumbled, withdrawing after a few moments.

Phil grinned at him. He left one hand on Dan’s shoulder. “You might regret that when I tell you what I want to film.”

“Well that sounds ominous.”

“Maybe slightly.”

They grinned at each other, eyes warm, when a footstep at the end of the corridor interrupted their moment. Dan turned, all ready to send dark, dirty looks at whomever dared to interrupt one of his most perfect life moments so far, when his jaw dropped and he backed up several steps.

His fucking _boss_ was walking towards them.

And not Emma the Third Assistant, either. No, this was the boss of the entire company, the man who’d hired Dan after he had spent the entire interview nervously picking at his sleeves.

And the same boss whose desk Dan might have hid under when he first met AmazingPhil.

Maybe.

Dan swallowed. Instinctively, he darted behind Phil and ducked behind his broad back in a desperate attempt to hide as the boss approached. Phil squeaked, finding himself stuck between a crouching Dan and a very intimidating man who he’d met all of once.

The boss offered a hand to Phil, a broad smile on his face. “Ah, Philip, is it?”

“Uhh—” Phil took his hand with a nervous smile. “Yeah. Phil, really.”

“And how are you finding our studios, Phil?”

“They’re great!” Phil managed to inject some enthusiasm into his voice. “Yeah, really useful, thanks. I’ve got loads of great footage.”

“Well, we’re happy to have you here.” The boss cast an amused look over Phil’s shoulder. “And, ah, I trust that our staff has been helpful?”

Dan cowered.

Phil couldn’t help his lips from turning up slightly. He shifted forward, eliciting a squeak and a grab at his shirt from Dan, and then stepped fully sideways to reveal Dan’s hunched-over form.

Dan glared at Phil. “You little shi – uh – hello, sir.”

Dan’s boss grinned at him. “Howell. I see you’re helping our newest client?”

Dan swallowed. “Uh. Maybe? But he asked!”

“I did,” Phil supplied helpfully.

Dan’s boss chuckled. “And how, may I ask, did you two meet?”

Oh shit.

Dan’s expression shifted into one of mortification. He edged back, glancing around and seriously calculating just how much room he had to escape, or how serious of trouble he’d be in if he ran away from his boss, because there was no way he was going to last if he found out the _actual_ way Dan and Phil met.

Phil’s eyes were twinkling as he looked at Dan. “Um. We met here, actually.”

Dan shot him a deadly look.

“Here?” The boss sounded surprised.

“Yeah,” Phil continued, “When I came in—”

“I showed him up to your office,” Dan cut in smoothly with another charged glare in Phil’s direction.

“Ah, I see. Well, it’s good to see you getting along.” With another shake of Phil’s hand, the boss continued up the corridor, disappearing around the corner.

Dan let out a long, shaky breath. He closed his eyes and dug his nails into his palms, reminding himself never ever to get himself into that type of position ever again.

Phil, on the other hand, seemed to find the entire situation all-too-amusing. He burst out into loud cackles, leaning against the wall of the corridor with his eyes bright and one hand pressed to his mouth in a failed attempt to stay quiet. Dan probably would have been mad, had the sight not been so endearing.

“You,” Phil eventually spoke through his chuckles, “Are without doubt the most awkward person I’ve ever met.”

Dan wasn’t entirely sure how to take that.

“Anyways,” Phil continued, “If you’re really cool with being in a vlog with me, d’you wanna come back to my flat with me? It isn’t far.”

“Yeah.” Dan agreed immediately. “Um, hang on, let me just check what time my train is.”

“Sure thing.”

Dan did his best not to stare at Phil as he pulled up the train timetable on his phone. As it turned out, the last train to Reading wasn’t until late into the night, so Dan had plenty of time to kill.

And that was how he found himself wandering the streets of London with AmazingPhil by his side, pointing out random attractions and telling Dan stories about them. Dan had a sneaking suspicion that most of the stories were made up. Phil, naturally, insisted they were all one-hundred-percent true.

Phil actually got recognised several times on their way through London. The streets were busy with the loud rush of traffic and the constant scent of smoky city life, and the majority of the commuters were too busy to stop, but there were still several people who shyly ran up to Phil, placed a hand on his arm and asked if he really was AmazingPhil, their favorite YouTuber. During these encounters, Dan mostly stepped back and watched. He recognised the look of admiration in the fans’ eyes. He knew that he should be in their place.

Instead, he was walking along with AmazingPhil’s hand on his arm, tugging him eagerly through the streets.

Dan wasn’t quite sure when this became his life, but he couldn’t honestly say that he was upset.

When they got back to Phil’s flat, Phil let him in with a rueful grin. “Sorry about the mess. I, ah, may not be the tidiest person in the world.”

Dan stepped inside, staring around with wide eyes. He could feel the fangirl in him threatening to rear its ugly head, making him want to squeal and rush around and coo over all the objects he recognised from Phil’s few videos that he’d made since being in London. There was his oven, where he’d tried (and spectacularly failed) to bake muffins. There was his giant Totoro toy, sitting proudly in a corner. There was his sofa, with the cushions splayed out in his usual messy pile.

There were also several items of clothes strewn across the floor, and maybe the sink was piled high with dishes, and every single one of the kitchen cupboards might have been open, but it was just so Phil that to Dan, it was perfect.

“So, yeah.” Phil awkwardly scratched at the back of his head. “I hope this is ok.”

Dan finally turned to him with a giant grin stretching across his entire face. “You kidding? This is perfect!”

Phil looked startled for a moment. Then, his expression warmed to match Dan’s, and Dan thanked all the stars in the sky that he’d lived to see this moment.

Phil led him through into the bedroom, and this time, Dan literally could not stop himself from leaping onto Phil’s bed and hugging his bedsheets. “Oh, they’re actually green and blue! Just like they look on the camera!”

“Well, yeah.” Phil couldn’t stop himself from chuckling as he leaned in the doorway. “I mean, I don’t disguise them.”

“They just look so real,” Dan gushed, and Phil couldn’t help laughing again. He admired Dan from the doorway–this tall, squishy young man who had stumbled so bizarrely into Phil’s life, and for some reason, refused to leave him alone.

Phil’s chest may have warmed a little at that.

Coming back to himself, Dan dropped Phil’s bedsheets and stood up again, coughing a little awkwardly. His eyes were trained on the carpet as he mumbled, “Um, sorry. So. Vlog?”

“Vlog,” Phil agreed, but he crossed the room and wrapped Dan up in a hug, grinning into his shoulder. “And don’t worry. You can fangirl over me as much as you like.”

Dan gasped, and Phil burst out laughing. Dan’s expression screwed up and he balled up a fist, catching Phil lightly on the shoulder with a low groan. “I hate you.”

“That’s no way to treat your idol.”

“Oh my God, shut _up_.”

Phil just burst out laughing again, but he did release Dan, stepping back with his eyes glittering.

Dan sent him a dark glare in return, dusting himself off. “Anyway. You still haven’t told me what this video is going to be about.”

“Oh yeah.” Phil launched himself onto his bed and leaned horizontally across to his bedside table, digging around in one of the drawers. “About that.”

Dan did his very best not to stare.

Phil emerged with his camera in hand, flipping it on and holding it up. “I’ll tell you in a sec. Grab my tripod from the corner?”

Dan turned mutely, trying to keep control of himself as he scanned AmazingPh – _Phil’s_ bedroom. It was even harder not to descend into squeals in here, where Dan had seen literally every corner through the screen of his laptop at some point. Instead, he scanned for the tripod, which was standing in a corner by a pile of precariously-balanced books and DVD cases.

Dan tutted as he rescued it. “Honestly, Phil, could you be any messier?”

“Hey, don’t judge me.” Phil was still buried in his camera, presumably playing with the settings. Dan brought the tripod over, setting it up in front of the bed where he guessed Phil usually had it, from his angles in the finished product. When Phil glanced up again, he grinned at Dan’s positioning. “Perfect. You do stalk my videos a lot, hm?”

“Maybe.” Dan did his best not to flush as he settled himself onto the bed beside Phil.

Phil’s bright eyes twinkled at him. “Seen all of them?”

Dan licked his lips.

“I won’t mind,” Phil added casually as he leaned forward, securing the camera in place. “It’ll be nice to have a hot guy watching my stuff.”

Dan almost choked. He managed to get enough composure past the scramble in his brain to reply with, “Well, in that case, I may have seen them all, yes. Several times over.”

Phil let out a snort of laughter. “Well, now I don’t know whether to believe you, or if you’re just lying to fish for compliments.”

“I could recite them if you want.”

“Seriously?”

Dan flushed again. “Um. I may have been under-exaggerating when I said several times.”

Phil shook his head, turning to fix Dan with a small smile again. For a moment, Dan’s breath was stolen away. He paused to take stock of his situation—here he was, sitting on actual AmazingPhil’s bed, with actual AmazingPhil right next to him, about to film one of actual AmazingPhil’s actual vlogs.

This was his life now, apparently.

“Anyway,” Dan hurried to break the silence before it could get awkward, because seriously, AmazingPhil was just staring and while Dan didn’t exactly dislike the attention, he was terrified of being boring. “Um. What exactly are we filming?”

Phil didn’t look away from Dan as he answered. “Ha. Well. You might not be pleased, actually.”

“Oh?”

“I wanted to tell the story of how we met,” Phil explained, and there was just the hint of a wicked smirk playing on his lips. “The actual story, not the watered-down version we gave your boss.”

Dan’s eyes widened. “You want me to share my ridiculous awkwardness with _the whole internet_?!”

“Yes!” Phil was definitely grinning now. “I mean, only if you want to, but you have to admit that it’s kind of hilarious.”

Dan’s cheeks flooded with heat. He wriggled in place, scratching at the back of his head. “Everyone will think I’m an idiot.”

“Dan – “

“I am an idiot.” Dan grabbed at his hair with both his hands, screwing his face up.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” Phil responded quietly.

Dan risked a peek at him to see Phil sending him a serious look. “Don’t you?”

“No, Dan, I really don’t.” Phil placed a hand on Dan’s shoulder, rubbing gentle circles there. “Honestly, it was … endearing. Seeing you under the desk.”

Dan’s chest flooded with warmth.

“Hilarious, too,” Phil added. “Utterly hilarious, and it was all I could do not to burst out laughing in front of the very serious boss I was trying to get to like me, but you were all curled up and you just looked so shocked. It was cute.”

Dan glowed. He did his best not to show it, though, instead hiding his face in Phil’s shoulder. “Yeah, well, I think you looked more shocked than me.”

“Probably,” Phil agreed with a rumble of laughter, “But I think I can be forgiven. I didn’t expect someone to be sitting on my feet.”

“I wasn’t sitting…”

“Close enough.”

“Yeah, well,” Dan shot back accusingly, “You kicked me.”

“You got in the way of my foot.”

Dan rolled his eyes, sitting back up to give Phil’s side a shove. “You’re an idiot.”

“I’m hurt, Dan.” Phil clutched at his chest, but his eyes were warm as he glanced back at Dan. “So what do you say?”

Dan licked his lips again.

“We really don’t have to, if you don’t want,” Phil hastened. “I just… I like you, and my viewers will like you, and I know you said you’ve always dreamed of being on YouTube. Maybe this could be your way in?”

Dan blinked rapidly, considering. Was AmazingPhil seriously offering to give Dan a platform? To get him started? Phil wanted to make a video with him. And Dan knew that the story was a good one, and he was mature enough to know that he wouldn’t be that embarrassed once the story was out there. It was funny. And, like Phil said, it was _endearing._

Dan was still maybe glowing a little from that.

So, without further thought, Dan reached out and placed his hand on top of Phil’s on the bed. He gave a decisive nod of his head. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Phil sent him one more serious look. “You absolutely sure? You can help me edit, and check it over before I post it.”

Dan grinned at him, ignoring the nerves rolling around in his stomach. “I’m positive.”

“Awesome.” Phil gave his hand a little squeeze, and then reached over to flick on the camera. “I’ll start off. You just join in however you want.”

Dan nodded. He turned to face the little flashing light of the camera, looking in the viewfinder to see the image of him sitting right next to AmazingPhil. The background was so familiar, and they looked … natural. Like they belonged next to each other. Dan was sitting a little too close, but when he tried to move away, Phil wound an arm around his back to hold him in place. Their shoulders were touching, their thighs barely a centimetre apart, and they both looked into the camera.

Phil lifted his hand in his trademark wave, a bright smile on his lips. “Hey, guys! As you can see, today I’m joined by a special guest. This is Dan. Introduce yourself, Dan!”

And with that, Phil turned to look at him. Dan risked a quick glance into Phil’s eyes, his gut twisting with nerves, but Phil was smiling at him so brightly and squeezing his hand and Dan felt all his nerves settle down. He was meant to be here. This felt right.

So Dan turned back to the camera, giving a two-fingered salute.

“Hello, internet. I’m Dan. And I’m here to tell you exactly why I’m a fail.”

\---

The filming went well— better than Dan could have hoped, he and Phil just clicked and it was natural to poke fun at each other—and Phil invited Dan to share a pizza with him while he edited the video. Dan checked it over that night, reassuring Phil that he was happy with the footage, and Phil uploaded it just before driving Dan over to the train station.

And okay, maybe Dan spent the majority of the journey clutching his seat in utter terror, because it turned out that Phil was not the best driver and the busy streets of London were terrible to navigate at the best of times, but Dan got to the station on time to board the last train.

His parents quizzed him on why he was so late, but he fobbed them off with stories of hanging out with friends, and escaped to his room as quickly as he could. The first thing he did was check YouTube, and there sat AmazingPhil’s newest video in his subscription box.

The thumbnail was a picture of him and Dan, sitting next to each other, both making stupid faces at the camera.

Dan’s stomach gave a weird flip at that.

And maybe he watched the video a few too many times that night, playing over and over again the way Phil looked at him, the way Phil listened so attentively when Dan had something to say, the way they looked so natural sitting there together. And the way Phil hugged him when the video was over, which Phil had left in when he was editing.

Dan even dared to scroll through the comments, and they were all overwhelmingly positive. One even asked for a link to Dan’s non-existent channel.

And then Dan dug his phone out, and there sat a text from Phil. ‘ _It’s already one of my most popular videos! You have to make your own channel. And do more collabs with me. *highfive*’_

Dan went to sleep with warmth sitting in his stomach, for the first time in his life feeling like maybe, just maybe, something was actually going right.


End file.
